I am sure many Timberwolves fans are as excited as I was when D’Angelo Russell officially became a member of the team. However, many people still doubt the Timberwolves and do not think they can make the playoffs next season. But things are definitely going to change for the better. With a powerhouse in Karl-Anthony Towns, who can average 25 and 12 in his sleep, and D’Angelo Russell who can give anybody in the league 20 points with a healthy amount of assists and step-back jumpers, the Minnesota Timberwolves are going to be a problem next season with these two on the court.
First, we have to talk about chemistry. These two future superstars have known each other since high school and became very good friends after the 2015 NBA draft where Karl went 1st and D’Angelo went 2nd. They both game planned for each other multiple times and both know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. It is rare to find superstars that are already friends for many years that have already been talking about teaming up in the future.
Then there is the fact that D’Angelo Russell fits perfectly on this Timberwolves team. Russell is a 6-5 point guard and Towns is a 7 foot center. The good about having a star PG and C is that pick-and-roll situations are virtually impossible to contain. Russell has the pick-and-roll in his bag, whether that is feeding Towns at the basket or taking advantage of the mismatch and shooting his sweet midrange. It is at least two points almost every single time.
As of right now, Karl-Anthony Towns is 6th in the league in offensive box plus minus with a value of 7, and D’Angelo Russell is 24th in the league with a value of 3.8. What does this mean? It means that the Timberwolves are 7 points per 100 possessions better when Karl-Anthony Towns is on the floor and 3.8 when Russell is on the floor. Yes, these numbers may not be too accurate because Towns missed games due to injuries, but this does not take away the fact that these two are top tier offensive producers.
People will soon understand just how dangerous the pairing of Russell and Towns will be. The Timberwolves got themselves a 7 footer who shot an average of 8 threes this season and knocking them down at a 41% rate. Then, they acquired his best friend who happens to be a point guard that has size and can seemingly do everything on the offensive end. I understand the risk of having these two players on the court at the same time: Defense. But both players are 24 years old, they have plenty of room to improve. I believe Minnesota will really surprise a lot of people next season.
